All posts by Methods NYC

Founded by Dave Gee in 2004, Methods NYC proves to be quite different from other clothing lines. This brand is not just about the clothes and producing gritty and eye-catching designs, but it’s about honing the artists’ skills and abilities. The brand, entitled “Methods”, came from the different ways that the artists’ uses in developing their talent in clothing design and in music. The company is also known to be global, as it doesn’t only help out artists’ from New York but artists’ all over the world who do everything to get their talents out there.
The international clothing line can be found in 70 stores around the United States of America as well as in numerous stores in Canada, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico, Switzerland and in 5 stores around the United Kingdom. Online, the label can be bought from Karmaloop, Bombing Science, Underground Hiphop, Mixed Unit, Keeping it Classic and Bobizzo.
Methods, aside from being run by Dave Gee and 10 artists is also sponsored and endorsed by 26 other companies in the entertainment and music industry.

New York City- The team over at Methods NYC is dropping their Summer 2010 line soon and Dave Gee & Co. not only have the hot designs for the summertime fly styles, but also sat down last month with Badman Press head honcho DZ just before WMC’s insanity for an “educational chat on this rapidly growing genre of music”.

Be on the lookout for the latest Methods NYC lines online and in stores worldwide and enjoy the interview!

Badman DZ

DZ

Originally from Canada, DZ is now based in San Francisco and is one of the most accomplished producers of Dubstep in North America. He is also the founder and co-owner of the labels Badman Press and Badman Digital. With a slew of releases forthcoming on his labels and a full tour schedule, this is one of the main artists to watch in the states this year.

Explain exactly what Dubstep is to our readers who might just be hearing about the genre.

Dubstep through my eyes and ears is the ultimate mash-up of every style & genre of electronic music to date, brought about at a very distinct (halftime) 140 beats per minute & built (produced) to maximize & utilize the full low end spectrum of not only a sound system’s sub cabinets, but the system as a whole. We ultimately maximize the sound as far as we can using bass as the primary rhythm component. When it all comes together it’s pretty rad and can get very rawkus.

Why do you think it’s so popular right now and where do you see it going in the future?

If it is so popular right now, I would assume it’s the raw vibe of it all mixed with the awesome software available to go out and do it yourself and the internet to keep in the know about who in the world is stepping up the game with their take on the sound (which is almost daily). There are 20yr old kids right now making tunes in their bedrooms that, after a proper mastering, destroy baby sea lions and heifers with the crushing sounds they built on their laptop. That’s pretty sick, 10 years ago that would have been insane kill you talk. “Yeah, you mastered your last release on a computer hhhahhahha!” Click. Boom. Crazy bastard.

How did your journey into the world of Dubstep begin?Were you making other types of music previously?

I always wanted to be a hip hop dj & producer like Premier (obviously never happened) but my first beats were either 128bpm breaks or 172bpm jungle, which I was really hype on building because of the drum programming involved using all the classic breaks. It wasn’t until me & my boy Mikey Spice (aka
Gully) started hanging out in ’05 that I really started building hip hop again, cause that’s pretty much all he did. He used to build jungle as well and we got down on a load of DnB that was/is dope, but it was the dubstep that grabbed me after my boy Mush brought some back to Ottawa from his UK jaunt in ’06.

How would you characterize your particular sound and what is it that makes your sound different from the other thousands of producers in the game right now?

Hmmmm, see, I don’t hear it like you do. If I had to say it’s a little more melodic than some, definitely more eq than compression (which I try not to use) and always different. That’s what drives me when I make a tune, a certain sound that just sets it off & then I just build around that. One of my boys told me I sometimes build a track ‘backwards’. Whatever gets the job done, and makes me want to drop it.

You’ve had a lot of big tunes released in the last year. What would you say is your personal favorite and why?

That’s a tough question man. I’ve been very lucky to get a lot of my favorite tunes out, first one that came to mind was “Serenity Now” and because I just love the tone of it all, but my winner is “The Tape” that I did with Rozanski. It’s different, it’s angry, it kicks like hell on a system and I think it still hasn’t even really got out there yet as far as it will. LOVE droppin’ it.

Now that you’re touring all over the place, you’ve had the opportunity to see many cities and scenes. What are your favorite places to play?
I love a good party, and every city brings it different. NYC, LA, SF, ATL, Montreal, Vancity, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax, Chi-town, Austin, Vegas, Champagne, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Santa Cruz. Man, I know I am not even getting all of them in and we haven’t even made
it to Miami for Conference yet. Ohhhh man, can you say RUKKUS!

What other Producers/DJ’s/Labels are you feeling right now?

I like a bit of everything y’know? B.Rich steady kills it and his “Kastle’ bits are just awesome, very inspiring. The T&B kids are just steady pushing things, Itchy rocks the spot for me every time; XI & Bombaman are always on their shit; Starkey’s new album is lush & worth many, many listens; the Circle label is hotness; can’t fuck with Rottun doin’ things big n’ brash; J.Kenzo’s been steady as hell with quality chunes; Taal Mala’s new stuff is VERY inspiring stuff. I had to put a period in there, I could just keep going. There is a lot of quality music out there right now, and it just keeps getting better, more diverse, more inspiring. This is why dubstep rules so hard, the evolution is non-stop.

Tell us a little bit about your label and what you’re future goals are with it.

The label started just being Badman Press Recordings on vinyl, but so far we have only had 2 releases (“Break it Down/ How We Do” & “A.W.O.L./Crack”) with the third coming out this spring (“Itchy Robot – Fatal Maschine/DZ remix”).

I think we are more known now for the sister label Badman Digital Media, which is the main outlet I use to release my music through as well as artists who are close to me. I see us taking on more artists this year that have their own distinct sounds & definitely getting more people directly involved by keeping the free releases going. I also will continue to post up stems & sample packs for tunes we have put out so anyone with a DAW can mess about & have some fun. That’s what I want to see out of the Badman camp this year ultimately – FUN!

What other artists will you be pushing through your label?

Next wax up is my man Itchy Robot, then a sick release from a fellow Canadian badboy Taal Mala & hopefully I have MRK1 on board as well after that, vinyl takes a bit to happen but the ball is rolling on that front.

On the digi side you will see names like Bombaman, XI, High Deaf, B.Rich, Posted, Itchy Robot, Skulltrane, Pacheko, M6, K.Gol, J.Rabbit, Taso, MindElixir, Thrills, Tony Rocky Horror, 2Cents, Roland and Brent Still Life & Thunder St. Claire. There are a few more, but in the development stages for sure right now. Gonna be a thick one kids.

What’s next for you and your label for the remainder of 2010?

For me personally, it’s all about WMC and then a nice April US tour before a very special show in May before I head up to Canada for the summer, play some dates, see some friends, then I reckon it’s time for DZ to hit up the UK & Europe. As for the labels, just steady pushing out material in both formats, with another sister label coming in the summer which will cater more to the 4/4 & garage sounds, so keep your eyes & ears open for the next!

Much, much love out to the worldwide MethodsNYC fam, my Badman Press souljahs everywhere and the people out there who follow their dreams and don’t get ahead at the expense of their fellow man. Dubstep isn’t just a music, it’s a movement, a way of life, and let’s keep pushing it as far as we can!